


for all we know

by poalimal



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dubious Consent, Gen, Internalised Homophobia, M/M, Mild Misogyny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2019-09-17
Packaged: 2020-10-19 19:56:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20662883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poalimal/pseuds/poalimal
Summary: Kent is a little better at compartmentalising. Jack is... a little worse.





	1. Chapter 1

I.

The next morning, before Jack's alarm even, Kent was up and getting dressed. He sat down lightly on the end of the bed, socks in hand, and tracked the moment Jack's eyelids fluttered open.

'Hey-o,' Kent said, taking him in. Jack squinted at him sleepily, warm and comfy in the dimness - then he slid up and held out his arms, silently demanding. What a brat. Kent laughed to himself quietly, pulling on his left sock and looking away. He did not move any closer. 'All that bed head, haha. You look like a baby chick.'

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jack sit all the way up and ruffle his hair into some semblance of order.

'Kenny,' he said, rough.

'Anyway,' said Kent, as if Jack had never spoken, as if his stomach wasn't flip-flopping all over the place at just the sound of his voice, 'I don't want your mom to catch me in here, so I thought I'd just sneak back down to the guest room. Hopefully with less creaking this time, haha.'

'You don't have to go so soon. She already knows,' said Jack, yawning. Kent stared at him. 'Worst case scenario, she finds you in here...' he shrugged, 'she'll just scold us a little. She won't really care.'

'Your mom already knows,' Kent said slowly, 'your mom already knows what?'

'About,' Jack rubbed his nose with the back of his hand, then shrugged, his hands joining together in his lap, 'you know. About you and me. About how we feel.'

Kent stared for a very long time. 'So your mom knows,' he said, 'that we trust each other?'

Jack looked at him in surprise. Sometimes it felt like Jack was the only one who really got him. But sometimes... sometimes it felt like he only ever tried to understand what Kent wanted... so that he could give him the opposite.

'Your mom knows that we're friends?' Kent pressed. Jack still didn't say anything. 'Friends who sometimes blow off steam together? Is that what she knows?'

'But I don't think of you as a friend,' said Jack.

Kent blinked, and smiled. 'Ok,' he said, standing up. He still hadn't put on his other sock. Well, fuck his other sock. 'That's good. That makes it easier.'

'_No_,' Jack threw back the covers and stumbled to his feet, 'no, that's not what I meant. Why are you being like this?' What gave him the right to make that face? Like Kent had hit him, like Kent kept hitting him. As if he hadn't known, as if Kent hadn't _told_ him, again and again, how they couldn't afford any distractions. Did he think Kent had just forgotten? Well, even if Jack forgot, Kent never could. 'You know I don't think of you as just a friend.'

'We're not just friends, Zimms,' Kent reminded him. 'We're co-captains, too.'


	2. Chapter 2

II.

Last night he'd wanted a quiet night, in case it was his last ever with the Aces - he knew losing Game 7 was not a real option for him. So he'd switched with Bummy and Yahtz, shuffled aside on the tenth floor while everyone else was on the twelfth. Management really was transparent when it came to planned trades.

Regardless, that meant that, tonight, when half of the team finally made their way back to the hotel - coke, champagne and puck bunnies included - he got what felt like a thousand boozy goodbyes, cheek kisses, and head noogies before he was allowed to get off. Swoops was so drunk he accidentally kissed him on the mouth, and the elevator kept beeping at them cus Sideshow Cobb kept his leg stuck in the door.

'Move it, Cobb,' Kent said. 'Don't be so desperate, hey - I might fuck you in the morning if I'm still drunk.'

'You're such a weirdo, Cap,' said Sideshow fondly, openly pawing some chick's boob. Kent was pretty sure she was the TA, the one named Deidre? He hadn't really gotten all their names. 'But it's good to see you smile.'

Kent whapped him lightly until Sideshow actually moved his leg. 'What? I always smile,' he mumbled, wobbling off the elevator.

He squinted - there was a man in dark clothing standing down the hallway, his back facing Kent.

Kent recognised him at once.

He did not turn when the guys hooted and hollered their goodbyes; he let the elevator door ding closed. And he stood there waiting until Jack finally turned.

He looked good, Kent thought, walking toward him. Really good. College and therapy and whatever else were clearly doing wonders for him.

So what the fuck was he doing here?

'Hey, Kenny,' said Jack. He smiled - Kent's throat tightened.

'You can't be here, Jack,' he said. 'You know you can't be here right now. If you're seen even within a mile of the hotel--'

'I saw the game,' said Jack. He looked so bright, it made Kent's eyes hurt. 'It was so good, you played so good, Kenny.' He took Kent's face into his hands, and Kent just let him, Kent just leaned up into him and looked him all over, staring at Jack's mouth - unable to look at him and not want him.

And then Jack said, with a smile even: 'It should've been me.'

Kent reared back, stung. Jesus fuck. What was most shocking, maybe, was that he could still get caught off-guard by Jack fucking Zimmermann's particular brand of entitled self-loathing. Of course he would think that he deserved everything that Kent had worked for.

'Fuck you, Jack,' he said, pushing past him roughly. 'I don't want to see you. Get outta here.'

Jack yanked him backwards by the arm and shoved him up against the wall. 'Don't walk away from me,' he breathed. 'I wasn't finished. You never let me finish. You know it should've been me on your line. You know I wouldn't have let you down.' Was he seriously talking about Swoops's fumble in the first half?

'Oh, get over yourself,' said Kent, tearing himself out of Jack's hold and storming down the hallway. Jack was still right on him, barely a step between them. 'You couldn't fuckin' _handle_ it, ok, Jack? And you already did let me down, didn't you? So just-- leave me alone, alright? Stop fucking calling me, stop fucking leaving me all those rambling voicemails about all your lame college shit.' He unlocked his door with his key card, and turned around with the door open, glaring up at Jack. 'I don't care, ok? And I don't want to see you. If that wasn't already abundantly fucking clear.'

'Don't bullshit me,' said Jack. His face was flat and cold, his eyes were watering. 'I heard what you said, you know.'

Kent screwed up his face. 'Heard me say what? That you need to figure your shit out? 'Cus I'll say it again--'

'_No_,' said Jack, walking Kent backwards into his room. The door shut, clicked and locked behind him. 'That night you found me. I heard you. I know how you feel.'

Kent swallowed. 'I would've said anything,' he said. 'Anything to keep you awake. And I knew you wanted me to say it anyway. You think you weren't completely fucking obvious? Taking all those fucking photos, watching me sleep.' His voice cracked - Jack always made him too emotional. 'I would've said anything, Jack, if it kept you alive.'

Jack's face shifted all at once, the coldness seemed to leave his face - he seemed to always hear what Kent never meant to say. 'Then why didn't you visit? Why did you cut me out?'

I didn't know what to say, Kent thought. I felt like I didn't know you anymore, like I'd never known you at all. Like you were keeping me at a distance before I ever asked. Like what we had wasn't even as real as I allowed it to be.

He said: ''Cus you just didn't have what it takes, Jack. And I thought that might mean I didn't either.'

Jack swallowed - he looked nauseous, like he might chuck it right there. What was he even doing here? He didn't even look _happy_ right now - so what the fuck did he want with Kent?

'And what more will it take?' said Jack. 'You're the youngest Captain in NHL history, you got your team a Stanley Cup in your _second_ year--'

'I can only get better,' said Kent, cutting him off before he could really get started. 'I can only work harder.'

'You're shaking,' Jack observed. 'When's the last time you were even with a man?'

Kent's face went ridiculously hot. 'Fuck off, I'm not doing this with you again,' he snapped, turning away to yank off his jacket. 'Get out of my room.'

'No,' said Jack. He sounded so weird, Kent turned back to look at his face. Oh Jesus Christ, Jack was so fucking annoying. Of course he would work himself into a jealous frenzy over his own fucking question. 'What, was it that recent? What was that you used to say? You wanted, what, a guy a game?'

'Really, Jack?' Kent said. Trust Jack to dredge up old shit like that. 'Are you really doing this right now?'

Jack continued on like he never said anything: 'Do you fuck them in your room, or do they take you back to their place? And when do you make them sign the NDA? Is it before or after you let them come all over your face? Remember,' he took Kent by the throat, he pulled him forward till their bodies were crushed together, 'I know what you fucking like.'

'Shut the fuck up,' Kent said, slapping Jack's hand away and pushing up into an open-mouthed kiss. He felt far away from himself, unreal and off-balance, falling into the sound of their tongues sliding slick against each other. He pulled back to breathe, he reached up to push Jack back, and instead gripped him hard by the arms. Pulled him close, walking back, dragged him down onto the bed.

'I can do,' he tried to steady his breath, 'whatever I want... with as many men as I want. It's got nothing to do with you.'

Really, the only thing he'd done after Jack was learn how to make a woman feel good. But Jack didn't need to know that - 'cus fuck him.

'Yes, it does,' said Jack, his hand slipping down, down, down. His fingers warm and certain, flicking open the button on Kent's jeans, pushing easy into his briefs. 'You can't even hide it. How much you want me.' His face was flushed, he was beginning to sweat on his upper lip. Kent wanted to lick the sweat away... he wanted to bite Jack's chin, to suck at the inside of his thigh. 'Crisse, Kenny. Look how wet you are.'

'Fuck you,' Kent hated how embarrassing his voice sounded. 'Fuck. I gotta-- lemme-- Jack, lemme take off my pants, please.'

'No, Kent,' said Jack, shaking his head. 'You're gonna come for me just like this, ok?'

'I can't,' Kent said, screwing up his face, '_uh-uh-uhh_, I can't--'

'Of course you can,' said Jack, his breath sharp on Kent's neck. 'You can do anything for me.'


End file.
